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The Lord of the Rings
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The Lord of the Rings Trade cloth - 1974

by Tolkien, J.R.R.


About this book

The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by philologist and Oxford University professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit (1937), but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1954, much of it during World War II. 

After the success of 
The Hobbit, Tolkien’s publisher asked that he produce a sequel. Although written as one big work comprised of six books, The Lord of the Rings was broken into three separate volumes because of post-World War II paper shortages and size and price considerations. The print run of the first editions was very small: 3,000 copies for The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), 3,250 copies for The Two Towers (1954), and 7,000 copies for The Return of the King (1955). The Lord of the Rings went on to become one of the best-selling novels ever, with more than 150 million copies sold.

Summary

A one-volume collector's edition boxed and bound in handsome red leatherette with gold, green, and blue foil stamping, two-color text setting, and large format fold-out maps containing the complete texts of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, and six appendices. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. On his eleventy-first birthday Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest -- to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

From the publisher

A one-volume collector's edition boxed and bound in handsome red leatherette with gold, green, and blue foil stamping, two-color text setting, and large format fold-out maps containing the complete texts of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, and six appendices. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. On his eleventy-first birthday Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest -- to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

First Edition Identification

The Lord of the Rings was published in three parts by George Allen and Unwin, and in the US by Houghton Mifflin. 

The Fellowship of the Ring
 (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and  The Return of the King (1955).

The Uk editions have  21s net to the front flap. 

The first American edition has cover illustration by Walter Lorraine.

Details

  • Title The Lord of the Rings
  • Author Tolkien, J.R.R.
  • Binding Trade Cloth
  • Edition Collector's Edit
  • Pages 1216
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston
  • Date 1974-11-01
  • ISBN 9780395193952

Media reviews

"A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning." The New York Times

"So relevant to the actual human situation yet so free from allegory . . . What fine shading there is in the variations of style to meet the endless diversity of scenes and characters." -- C. S. Lewis

"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." --- Sunday Telegraph

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Lord of the Rings
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Lord of the Rings

by Tolkien, J. R. R.

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395193952 / 0395193958
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Description:
Houghton Mifflin, 1974. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Wear commensurate with age and use. Clean unmarked copy. Light scuffing and smudging across boards and spine strip. Slipcase intact. Secure packaging for safe delivery.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition)
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The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition)

by J.R.R. Tolkien

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  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395193952 / 0395193958
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1974-11-01. Imitation Leather. Very Good. 2.7000 10.0000 6.8000. NF, appears unread. Minor shelf wear may be present to slipcase ONLY.
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THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
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THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

by Tolkien, J. R. R.

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
Condition
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Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395193952 / 0395193958
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Houghton Mifflin:, 1994. The twenth-four printing, 440 pages, the "collector's edition". "This tale grew in the telling, until it became a history of the Great War of the Ring and included many glimpses of the yet more ancient history that preceded it." The Lord Of The Rings is now issued in a new edition (this being the second edition), and the opportunity has been taken of revising it. A number of errors and inconsistencies that still remained in the text have been corrected, and an attempt has been made to provide information on a few points which attentive readers have raised." FINE HARDCOVER, red covers, gilt lettering is bright on the cover and spine, FINE- SLIPCASE.. Hard Cover. Fine/Not Issued with a Dust Jacket.. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.
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Lord of the Rings
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Lord of the Rings

by Tolkien, J. R. R

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395193952 / 0395193958
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Houghton Mifflin, 1974-11-01. Imitation Leather. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
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NZ$344.81
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The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Lord of the Rings (Collector's Edition)

by J.R.R. TOLKIEN

  • Used
  • very good
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
First Thus
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395193952 / 0395193958
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Description:
Houghton Mifflin, November 1974. First Thus. In Slipcase . Very Good/No Jacket As Issued. Bound in textured red leather with gold and colored metallic designs. Decorative endpapers. Housed in a matching red leather slipcase. Minor wear on the bottom of the slipcase and faint foxing on the top edge of the print block, else very good.
Item Price
NZ$425.55
NZ$10.20 shipping to USA